Recently, we went on a bus tour from Kansas City to Washington, D.C. Originally, it was to include a tour of the White House. But that was canceled because of sequestration.

While in Washington, we saw that the Baltimore Ravens were invited to the White House.

If this isn’t a slap in the face, I don’t know what is.

Who is more deserving to tour the White House, a group of senior citizens who have supported their government all of their lives, many who served in the armed forces, including in Korea and Vietnam, or a group of overpaid millionaires who did one noteworthy thing in their lives, win a Super Bowl?

Also, it’s worth noting that several players did not even show the courtesy of attending.

Definition of sequestration: screwing the public while spending millions of dollars to go on a trip to Africa, paid for by the millions who were screwed.

Joe Magerl

RaymoreEnduring conflict

Here’s the issue with pro-life/pro-gun citizens vs. the pro-choice/anti-gun citizens.

This should help explain why this debate may never be resolved.

Pro-life people view unborn children as victims, and pro-choice people view people killed with guns as victims (as do pro-life people).

Pro-gun people view restrictive gun laws as infringing on their rights. Pro-choice people view restrictive abortion laws as infringing on their rights.

So, both issues are basically rights vs. victims.

Currently, both sides see their rights superseding the victims. Until that changes, status quo.

Terry Kliethermes

Leawood Photo ID to vote

According to the Aug. 4 Star, “Pounding the pavement for school enrollment,” for parents to enroll their children in the Kansas City Public Schools, they must show a photo ID and two proofs of residency.

But we can’t require that to vote.

Victoria Welsh

Kansas CityKCI plan drawback

The problem with a new terminal at Kansas City International Airport is that it would be run by the same people who put the two most popular airlines (Delta and Southwest) into Terminal B while leaving Terminal C practically vacant.

Don Merker

RaytownLibertarian movement

Although I was glad to see the libertarian movement mentioned in a good light in the Aug. 5 front-page story, “Libertarian movement is a rising tide,” I was disappointed to see it paired with the GOP in the article as if it were a Bush-esque, neoconservative movement.

Libertarianism does share some viewpoints with the GOP, but not because it is a close friend of the GOP, only because of coincidence.

On the flip side, it also shares quite a bit with the Democrats, such as marriage rights and reproductive rights.

A party that favors gay marriage, condemns wars of aggression, preaches deregulation of the economy and business, and places responsibility back in the hands of its citizens is a far cry from either of the two parties.

Tom Stivers

Overland ParkCourt favors rich

The conservatives of the U.S. Supreme Court are completely consistent in their decision to restrict voting rights. Not consistent with legal precedent or the Constitution, however.

The Supreme Court justices are consistent with their Citizens United decision. As the ability of rich, angry white men to mold political events fades with the rising tide of minorities, the court sought to curtail minority voting power.

And as the Internet made it easy for those who are not rich to make, in the aggregate, significant political contributions undermining the political influence of the richest Republicans, the court decided, against all precedent, that corporations are people, so that those with the most money can exercise disproportionate political influence.

These decisions may not be the Supreme Court’s finest moments. But they are in accord with the conservative politics of justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts, et al. to privilege the richest among us.

James Obertino

Warrensburg, Mo.Dissent stanched

Given the latest scandal du jour from Washington, D.C., I will no longer voice dissent for fear that I will be labeled a terrorist, have the Internal Revenue Service audit my last 50 returns and be thrown into Gitmo.

I will only extol the virtues of our great leader and his entourage for the social and economic good they have done for this country.

Joseph Levin

FairwayGovernment snooping

So the government has been eavesdropping on our phone calls and emails but tells us not to worry because it only wants to expose bad guys.

The most disturbing thing is that the people who wear tinfoil hats and babble about mysterious black helicopters are starting to seem a little less nutty.

Mike Symanski

Overland ParkSteve Rose’s column

Steve Rose’s call for the closure of the Kansas City Public Schools joins a tired chorus of wrong solutions (8-4, Commentary, “Abolish KC school district to improve education”).

Rose suggests that the adjoining districts could easily take the 16,000 students and achieve miraculous results. But those districts have not stepped up.

Rose suggests that many children could go to charters. By and large, the charters are failing and have little capacity to handle more students.

The state hangs back, knowing that closing the district is too complicated to succeed.

The real answer is hard work over a long time. The Kansas City Public Schools’ students have to be better prepared through early childhood training. The teaching corps has to be improved. The parents have to become engaged.

There are no magic bullets because no matter what entity is in charge the challenges do not change

Joel Pelofsky

Kansas CityKC’s prompt action

Kudos to Kansas City for its response to my 311 Action Center call.

I was dismayed to find six inches of water in my basement during a recent rainstorm. I called 311 to report what I thought might be backup from the storm sewer. Within a couple of hours, a city crew was here clearing out the storm sewer.

City workers gave me a number to call to report damage. A professional crew from ServiceMaster arrived to clean out and sanitize my basement. An appraiser assessed the damage.

I am so impressed with the rapid and professional response to my call. Again, kudos to Kansas City.

Gloria Silvers

Kansas CityPostal difficulties

I thought the U.S. Postal Service wanted and needed our business.

I also thought that working at a post office was a great job. Good pay (I’ve heard) with good benefits seems pretty good when jobs are hard to find.

I use several branches, and every time I go in they act like it’s a bother to wait on me. They talk to each other but grunt at me.

I always have a mission to cheer them up when I go in (I have a little Pollyanna in me). I might as well give up. They have forgotten how to smile.

I wonder what’s so terrible about their jobs that they are rude, curt and impolite. Don’t think I’ll figure that one out ’cause they don’t talk.

Peggy Corlee

Kansas CityDeadbeat dads

It’s nice to read positive articles on modern-day fatherhood. However, it would be interesting to learn the U.S. Census Bureau statistics regarding fathers who turn their backs on their offspring.

Those are the fathers who fly under the radar, living off the land (moving from state to state), and often are housed/aided by Christian charities.

They fail to file federal income taxes and ignore their responsibility to pay child support or even contact their children.

Worst of all, those children would not be able to identify their fathers if they saw them.

Statistics for those managing to stay hidden from being jailed would probably be an eye-opener.